Dennis Van Golberdinge, who has been living and working in Greece for the past year, participates in the 17th Marathon Des Sables, under the Greek flag. The marathon takes place in the Moroccan Sahara desert and lasts from April 7 2002 until April 13, 2002. It consists of 6 separate routes, the total distance of which is 240 kilometres.

All thoughout the race, the athletes carry their personal equipment and the food required, under extremely difficult conditions and where the average temparature is more than 45^o Celcius. 551 male and 56 female athletes from more than 30 countries take part in the marathon. Dennis van Golberdinge is the first and only participant from Greece.

This marathon is very demanding, so Dennis has been training hard for the last 32 weeks before the race, under the instructions of Mr. Nick Halatsis, coach of the Greek Olympic team. Dennis van Golberdinge has 18 years of experience in races and has participated in 9 marathons over the last 6 years.